Major Project Buckets

For my project I will need a shallow feeding bucket and a tall water bucket, I'm quite happy with how both turned out.

Major Project colours

I have chosen the colours I will be using for my project, I may not use all the colours listed but will try to stick to them as closely as possible.

Major Project new script

Tack room, Full of containers, boxes, a shelf, racks, a wheelbarrow leaning against the wall and other utilities, daytime.

NARRATOR

"Welcome back from your lesson, I hope you had fun! Now, before you can go and relax in the sun, you need to tend to your pony and make sure she is happy too. First, put the tack back in the right places." 

              Saddle and bridle appear, they can be dragged around freely but when released in the wrong place an alarm sounds and the jump back to their original position, waiting to be picked up again, right place gives a pleasant 'ping' noise. Carrot reward when both are in place.

"Now, she's hungry so fill up her bucket and hay net, she will thank you for it"

              Scoop has to be found, right feed selected from different containers (colour coded?) or the alarm sounds. Pling sounds for oats added to bucket and hay not straw put into hay net. Carrot reward.

"You need to make sure that there will be food tomorrow, so go out into the field-"

              click the field window that popped up in the interface

"take the wheelbarrow with you"

              click the tack room icon in the interface and pick up the wheelbarrow

"pick all the oats, wheat, straw and hay"

              alarm sounds for picking random flowers, pings for right plants, all fly into wheelbarrow when selected

"and plant new seeds."

              four seed bags appear, they need to be emptied into the right row or alarm sounds, ping if done right

"Nicely done. Back to the tack room now, and fill the containers."

              Carrot reward

"Next, connect the hose with the water tap"

              three taps to choose from, water, pink cream and black gunk

"make sure to chose the right one!"

              pink and black splash against the screen when selected

"and fill up the water buckets, but not too much or you'll spill some and make the floor slippery" 

              bucket overfills and explodes water over the screen. When all full:

"Well done!"

              Level up

Maya Wheelbarrow and Tap

 In an effort to improve the model of the wheelbarrow, I made the tyre nice and chunky and reduced the dent inside the body and am quite pleased with how it came out.

Next I decided to model a tap which still has a few niggly bits like getting some parts to look round rather than square is proving to be a challenge, but it already looks so much better. I will need some advice as I want the top part to be able to move freely in order to simulate the tap being turned on/off and am unsure how I can go about that. I will ask Alan for help on Friday :) Next up is more orthograph drawings and an updated storyboard!

Some Maya for Major Project

A scoop for the feed, needs minor adjusting but works.

Working on the wheelbarrow at the moment, front wheel is next on the list and the rim needs adjusting.

My internet at home should be fixed by next week with updates coming more frequently then, but so far I am working on designs and Maya models and have improved the storyboard slightly to make it more fun and appealing to a crowd of 7 year old girls rather than 4 year olds. I'm aiming for the designs to be chunky and round and cute and may have to adjust the metal detailing on the wheelbarrow to fit in better.

Major Project rough storyboard idea

A rough idea of what I think the animation could look like, bar any design decisions, as I am trying to work out what I will need to design. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

Major project idea developement

After getting locked out of my flat yesterday and winding up at Emma's, I realised that the knowledge testing quiz app was probably not what this project should be in the end, so I tried to come up with a way that lets the user learn about horse care 'first hand' rather than being subjected to questions (which could always be added in again, but should not be the main focus).

So for the game, I imagine that the user could find herself in the tack room after a ride where she has to look after the horses needs. It could be an instructional game where a voice tells her what to do next, for example:

"Welcome back from your hack, it looks like you had fun! But now you need to tend to your horses needs to make sure she'll be happy too. First, put the saddle back on the rack (saddle appears on screen, rack lights up) so that it keeps it's form (when done right, horse snorts, content, and carrot appears in corner) then clean the bridle with water (bridle appears, water bucket lights up) shake it and hang it up. (Rack lights up, snorting and carrots for actions carried out well) Well done!
Now, she's hungry so she would really like some oats and hay, so pick up that scoop (scoop appears, bucket of oats lights up) put it in the feeding bucket (different bucket lights up) and take a hay net, place them by the door. (Carrots and snorts.) You need to make sure that there will be food tomorrow, so go out to the field, pick the ripe oats and hay, (items ready to be picked up light up, wheelbarrow lights up) put them in the wheelbarrow and plant new seeds (seeds appear in pouch on screen, need to be moved over rows of soil, carrots ). (Back in the tack room)Then fill the food containers until full, just like that, have a carrot.
Next, the horses need water so grab that horse and pull it over to the water buckets, take care you don't spill it or the whole stable will become slippery. Nice one! (LEVEL UP on screen, horses whinny happily in the background.)"

So, what I want to create is an animation that simulates a game (app game) about horse care, for little girls that want to learn and play. The design should be round, big and cute with bright colours and a square rather than rectangular approach for objects, items and utensils. There will likely be a voice over that explains, encourages and praises and the individual items could be giving more specific information for those who want to learn extra (for example, one horse needs ca. 60l water a day, etc) and there could be a quiz at the end, voluntarily. Following the narrative rewards carrots along the way which could unlock information about items which in turn unlock the quizzes and make it interactive on more than one level.